Used shotgun purchase

This is a discussion on Used shotgun purchase within the Defensive Rifles & Shotgun Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; I originally put this under the Short Barrel Shotgun thread, but decided to just make it it's own.
I went for a wander through my ...

Used shotgun purchase

I originally put this under the Short Barrel Shotgun thread, but decided to just make it it's own.

I went for a wander through my friendly local pawnshop today, they have a used pistol-grip Mossberg w/ 18" barrel for like $150..! Should I be buying myself a toy 2 weeks before Christmas? No. Am I going back after work to tempt myself? Definately. Am I taking the darn thing home with me tonite..? Probably..... Any advice of things to check before buying a used shottie? Is that price too good to be true?

I've never even shot one before, I've just always wanted one since I was about 14, and it seems to me that even if I just couldn't stand it and had to put a full stock on it later, it's a decent enough price, and the pistol grip would probably be nice for the home defense roll the gun would be playing anyway. It's just a shell holder and tach light away from being a lean, mean, bump-in-the-night gettin' machine..! :-)

Well... I've never claimed to be a patient man... The point at which the nice man at the pawn shop offered to throw in a fiber-optic site, heat shield, and the background check, it was too good of a deal to pass up. So:

كافر(Infidel)He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

Very nice. I liked my Mossberg 500 when I had it. It was a 20 gauge, six shot. Mine came factory with full stock, and I later added the pistol grip full stock (Black Warrior), and found a cheap used barrel and had it chopped to the legal limit or 18 1/4" with fiber optic front sight. I like the Mossberg 500 mainly because it's chambered for the 2 3/4 or 3" shells. They operate smooth also. Almost care-free. Good find in my book!

Good buy, man!!!! I got my 500 on Halloween. Since then I've put about 200 rounds through it. Similar set-up, but mines a 5+1. I dig the pistl grip and I have actually shot skeet with it. haha Myself, I'm looking for the Knoxx SpecOps myself but everyplace and their mother seems to be sold out of it.

Just remember!!!!! There's no buttstock and it will come back into you if you're not careful!

Hah, yeah, I've thought about that too, just holding it up to sight along it and "mocking" what recoil might do, there's some definate potential to catch it right in my nose. Not really sure what the "right" way to hold it will be, will have to experiment some.

I had a friend watch the rear of the gun itself. I held it out away so that the gun would not hit me on recoil, but also as close as possible to mimick what my body would be doing. I had the friend tell me whether or not, from how I was shooting, the butt would come back to hit me.

I igured it out after a few tries. Its not hard. Just remember to put a lot of force behind your trigger arm.